Vatican extends olive branch to American nuns

Chicago sister: “They (Vatican investigators) were looking for something that they didn't find.”

The Benedictine sisters at St. Scholastica Monastery in Rogers Park breathed a sigh of relief Tuesday when the Vatican released its long-awaited report on American nuns.

Two Vatican investigators had spent two days at the Benedictine monastery in May 2010 as part of an unprecedented review, examining the lives of women who take vows to the Roman Catholic Church.

"The two visitators were very kind and good people, but they didn't know very much about monastic life," said Sister Patricia Crowley, prioress of the Benedictine community. "They came being surprised that we had ... a schedule for the day, where we pray together and eat together."

"They were looking for something that they didn't find," she added.

Indeed, the controversial report released by the Vatican's Congregation for Religious seemed to ease tensions and mistrust many sisters felt as the Vatican launched its review in 2008. Instead, it was viewed as an affirming and realistic assessment of women religious — the Catholic term for sisters — while also reminding them to adhere to church teaching.

"It is not a document of blame or simplistic solutions," said Sister Sharon Holland, president of the Leadership Council of Women Religious (LCWR), during a press conference in Rome where the report was unveiled.

"One can read the text and feel appreciated and trusted to carry on," she added.

A long-awaited report on American nuns released by the Vatican on Tuesday is being seen as an encouraging and realistic assessment of women who take vows to the church, while also urging them to adhere to Roman Catholic doctrine.

"It is not a document of blame or simplistic solutions," Sister Sharon...

The report is the result of an investigation begun during the papacy of Pope Benedict XVI. It aimed to examine 341 religious orders with about 50,000 sisters, but did not include cloistered communities of nuns.

It is the first of two separate appraisals, each one under a different Vatican department. The second investigation comes from the church's doctrinal watchdog, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and examines the adherence to doctrine by the LCWR, an umbrella group to which 80 percent of the nation's women religious belong.

Both investigations have angered Catholics who see them more as misogynist inquisitions of women who have dedicated their lives to the church. Experts say that such an examination, or apostolic visitation, of sisters in a single country is rare.

"The expressed purpose to look into the quality of life of religious women in the U.S. was troubling," Holland said. "Some congregations reported that their elder sisters felt that their own lives had been judged and wanting."

Sister Mary Ann Zollman, 73, head of the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary when Vatican officials visited their mother house in Dubuque, Iowa, said the one-way communication with investigators with no feedback for four years was frustrating. But in the end, the sisters were glad officials came and prompted them to reflect on their mission. A Loyola University Chicago trustee, she helped edit a book of essays by sisters about the apostolic visitations.

"The fact of the matter is ... it gave us an opportunity to tell our story and tell our story to one another and make that story public," she said. "We believe in our life. We love it. It gave us an opportunity, as challenging as it was, to celebrate that."

All of the religious communities in the U.S. responded in some way to the investigation, even if they refused to participate. Most of those that did participate filled out questionnaires, while about 90, including St. Scholastica and the Dubuque mother house, received visits.

"While the lack of full cooperation was a painful disappointment for us, we use this present opportunity to invite all religious institutes to accept our willingness to engage in respectful and fruitful dialogue with them," the report said.

The report contained several reminders for sisters to reinforce church teachings in their work. It encouraged communities to explore more stringent formation programs, noting that today's candidates for religious life have more professional training and less spiritual formation.

"Caution is to be taken not to displace Christ from the center of creation and of our faith," the report warned.

Sister Maria Cimperman, director of the Center for the Study of Consecrated Life at Chicago's Catholic Theological Union, said the document echoed the tone of Pope Francis.

"You could feel Pope Francis in this document, speaking to wake up the world," said Cimperman, a sister of Sacred Heart of Jesus.

"I don't think it's a critique at all," she added. "It's a real invitation that everyone can look at as we welcome new members."

Individual reports will be sent to communities that hosted an on-site visitation or exhibited cause for concern.

The report also made a forecast for the future, quoting Pope Francis' call for "a more incisive female presence in the Church."

"This Congregation is committed to collaborate in the realization of Pope Francis' resolve that 'the feminine genius' find expression in the various settings where important decisions are made, both in the Church and in social structures," the report said.